Stabilizer for aeroplanes



' April 1, 1930. U F ET AL 1,752,396

STABILIZ'ER FOR AEROPLANES Filed May 19, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet l nvmvrozes BY PM Wax A TTORNEY April 1, 1930. F. RUMFORD E AL STABILIZER FOR AEROPLANES Filed May 19, 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 A TTORNEY Ap 1, 1930. F. RUMFQRD ET AL STABILIZER FOR AEROPLANES Filed May 19, 1928 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVENTORS .B 2/

A TTORNEY Patented Apr. 1, 1930 I 7 ,1 1' v UNITED STATESTPATENT OFFICE FRED mmronnor JE'IMORE, KANSAS, Ann HAROLD THOMAS HENRY, on NEW 9 YORK, N. Y.

STABILIZER FOB AEROBLANES Application filed May 19, 1928. Serial No. 278,952.

This invention relates to stabilizers for fuselage of an aeroplane, 2 and 8 the upper aircraft in general, and the object of the inand lower supporting surfaces thereof, 4 the vention, broadly stated, is to provide means ordinary propeller, 5 a landing gear, 6 the whereby the lateral and longitudinal stabilvertical rudder and 7 the horizontal rudder. ity of the craft is maintained without any The ailerons are located at 8 and are shown attention on the part of the operator of the as associated with the outer-rear corners of machine. v the top or upper supporting surface 2.

Another object in View is to provide means The means for automatically maintaining for stabilizing aircraft, which means is adapt.- the lateral equilibrium or stability of the ed to operate either automatically or be uncraft, comprises a stabilizing vane 9 which der the control of the aviator as may be reis located directly over the longitudinal cenquired. ter of-the fuselage and in the vertical plane Another object in view is to provide simple of the longitudinal axis thereof and the enand effective means for throwing the stabilizgine shaft and propeller shaft. The stabiliz '15 ing apparatus into and out of operation au ing vane 9 is fixedly attached to the rearwardtomatically so that the aviator may have ably extending arm 10 of'a laterally swinging solute control of thestability of the'machine framev comprising a forwardly and downat any time it may be found necessary. wa-rdly curved portion 11 which is connected, With the above and other obj ects in View, in: thepreferred embodiment of this inventhe invention consists in the novel construction, to a loose collar or sleeve 12 surround- 7 ,tion, combination and arrangement here1n ing the engine shaft as shown in Figure 2, the vfully described, ill r and Claimed connection between the member 11 and the v, In the accompanying drawings collar 12 being shown in the form of links 7 Figure l-is a side elevation of an aeroplane or rings 13 passing through each other and showing the improved S biliz ng apparatus thus allowing the frame carrying the stabilizin its applied IGI-a i I h a ing plane 9 to swing laterally on the longi- Figure 2 is an enlarg d fr gm n a y tudinal axis of the fuselage. Connected fixim ong Section showing t edly to the arm 10 is a substantially and nornect'ion of the lateral stabilizing device with n ri ht standard or post 13 which is 30 the engine lmf 1 fixedly secured at its lower end to a longi- Figure 3 1S vertlcal transverse g fi tudinally extending rock shaft 14 mounted tal'y Se g 011115611 'mechamsm in hearings in spaced parallel frame members for n l g the Stabilizing pp tu 15 within the fuselage. Fast on the shaft 14 Figure 1 a fragmentary bottom P View I is a collar 16 having a notch or slot 17 there- 5 of the same. v. V in, and arranged slidably on the rock shaft 5 Figure 5 is aailfragmentarx vertlcal-sectlon 14 is another-collar 18 having a projection taken at a right angle to Flgure 19 movable into and out of the slot 17 of Figure 6 is'a rear elevation of one of the the 11 1 h b th 11 18 may b Stabilizing a .caused to rotate with orbe left free from 0 Figure 7 15 an elevatlonpf P h o the shaft 14. Fixedly connected to .the collar so taken at a right to Flgure 4 '18 is a horn or lever arm 20 to which are at- Figure 8 is a P View of the Complete taohed the ailerons operating connection 21 chine q pp t the Stabilizing PP which extend to the ailerons or lateral balancing orstabiliz ing surfaces 8. The collar 45 Fig e? is a g rv p vi w on n 18 is shifted by means of a link 22 connected as enlarged scale showingthe fore and aft Stato one arm of a lever 23 pivotally mounted fbilizing clutch means. v. I v v onthe frame ofthe fuselage, sa1d lever belng Figure 10 is afragmentary vertical longioperated by another rod or connectlon 24 tudinal section ofthe same. .which extends to a hand lever 25-. By the 5 Referring to the drawings l designates the rnean just described,;provision is made for the automatic control of the lateral stability of the machine or manual control of the same.

In the preferred embodiment of the invention as it relates to the stabilizing vane 9, said vane consists of two rea-rwardly diverg ing planes .or surfaces 26 mounted upon and connected to a suitable frame work QS'which is fixedly secured to the rearwardly extendingarm lOofthe laterallyswinglngrframe above referred to. By providing said vane with rearwardly diverging surfaces, the proper action of the stream of air thereon during-the;

flight of the machine is insured and the lateral stability of the machine is correspondingly insured journaled up'on'la rock shaft 31 extending transversely of' the fuselage and projecting from one side thereof, the inner end .ofthe arm 30 having a notch 31 thereon which is adapted tobe engaged and disengaged by a projection 32 on a slidable collar or sleeve 34 on the shaft 31,v said collar or sleeve being connected to the shaft 31 by means'of'a key or feather85; From the lever 23 an operat ing rod 24 extends to onearm of a bell crank lever 38 pivotally mounted on the frame of the machine.

The other arm of the elbow lever 38 has connectedtheretoa rod 39 which has ajjointed connection with the shiftable collar 3t'for the purposeof shiftingthe latter intoand out of engagement with the adjacent end' 'of the vane carrying arm 30 as bestillustrated'in rigure 9. Fast on the shaft 31" are oneor more posts or'horns 4L0 fromwhich-the controlling connections 41 lead to the elevator'or' horizontal rudder of the machine. When'the clutch mechanism shown 1n Figure" 9 1S'1I1 fclutch position, it'willl'now be observed that vas-vthe machine'tilts; on 1ts transverse axis or departs from a true fore and afthorizontal line of flight, the stream'of'air' acting on the vane29 serves to rock the shaft' 31" and through. the connections described, the elevator or horizontalv rudder is correspondingly changed as to its angle; for the'purpose'of restoring the craft to. an even 'keel The operation of'the' vane 9"'is the same as that just described in connection-- with the vane 29." Asthe machine loses'itslateral balance, for example when theright lian'd" side of the machine becomes depressed ,\the*vane f91 is .held'in its normal position swinging over to the left hand side" of thelongitudinal center of "the fuselag'e thereupon working-f the control which operates the ailerons, moving one of the ailerons or laterally balancing surfaces downwardly at its trailing edge and corresponding elevating and trailing edge of the other aileron or supporting surface. When the. stabilizer controlling clutches are in their clutched positions, the lateral and fore and aft stability of the machine are automatically providedlfor. When however the aviator or operatorof the machine desires to have complete control of the fore and aft and lateral stabilizing surfaces, he unclutches the parts and thereby throws the stabilizing vane outi'of operationzax lVhile we have shown and, described the stabilizing apparatus applied to'-an aero-' plane of the biplane structure, oft'ype, it will of course, be obvious that the stabilizingap;

jparatus isapplicable to monoplanes' biplanes and. various other 7 types. of aircraft as said stabilizing apparatus will operatein connection with any aircraftwhile proceeding at a comparatively rapid! pace in actual flight through theair; 3 I v v Having described our invention, we claim": 1. In an aeroplane having stabilizing ailerons thereon for maintaining the same in. transverse balance, of automatic stabilizing means comprisingf an aileron con:-

trol' vane, vertically extended supporting:

means therefor pivotally supported upon bearings disposed in" axial alignmentwith the longitudinal axis of the machine and connections from said supporting means to the ailerons, said connectionsiincluding a releasable clutch device andJmanual means ;for actuating thecl'utch devicejfor connecting or disconnecting the control vane for automatic or manual controlofthe ailerons as'desired. 1 I g g 2. In combination with theaileron's located on the planeofthe aeroplane, automatic stabilizing means above the fuselage of the aeroplane, a rock shaft journalledlong'itudinally of the fuselage, a"men1ber*rigidlyconnecting said: rock shaft, with said frame, a clutch element fixed'onsaid rock. shaft a sleeve vslidablev and rotatable -.upo 'n' said shaft and formed with an arm, flexible members connecting said arm with the ailerons, a

lever carried by; said" sleeve and engageable withsaid clutch element 'wherebvtolock 'said sleeve for rotation with saidrocksliaft and manually controlled meansfoifshifti'ng said 7 lever.

ce I 3, In combination with the "ailerons located 7 on the plane's'of' thei aeroplanaistabili zing means'comprising a laterallytiltable frame extending n i inall abovethe fuselag Ofthe p ain ioossly surreundingr the engine-shaft oftli'el'aerop'lane; -a loose-connection between said collar "and theforward longitudinally 0' r the 'fuselagee anfupri'glit rigidly s'cfiir'edito stat-intake Slilfiili ana tor said frame, a collar rigidly secured to said rock shaft and formed with a notch, a slidable collar on said shaft rotatable with respect thereto and formed with an upstandin arm, flexible members connected with sai arm and with the ailerons, an elongated lever carried by said slidable collar and having one end adapted to be engaged beneath said notch whereby to lock said sleeve for rotation with the rock shaft, and a manually controlled lever for moving said first named lever. 7

Signed at J etmore, in the county of Hodgeman and State of Kansas, this 23rd day of March, A. 1)., 1928.

FRED RUMFORD. Signed at New York city, in the county of New York and State ofNew York, this 16th day of April, A. D., 1928.

HAROLD THOMAS HENRY. 

